Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program

Helping you get back to restful sleep

In 2016, the American College of Physicians (ACP) issued a new guideline recommending that adults with chronic insomnia receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)as a first line of treatment, before trying a trial of sleep medication. Research has shown CBT-I to be as effective as medications for insomnia for the short-term, and more effective than medication in the long-term.

What is Insomnia?

People with insomnia often have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or wake up too early. They also usually experience effects of poor quality sleep that impact them during the day such as:

Feeling tired

Having low energy

Trouble with attention, concentration, and memory

Becoming easily irritated, or upset

Having difficulty at work or school

CBT-I helps specific problems such as:

Canceling activities either because of being too tired or out of fear that such activities will interfere with sleep

Not keeping regular bed times and wake times

Spending time in bed worrying about sleep rather than sleeping

How long does CBT-I last?

CBT for insomnia usually requires under 6 sessions to be effective. In some cases, extra sessions may be needed.

​What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia CBT-I)?

CBT is a short term psychotherapy for insomnia that is based on scientific knowledge about sleep

The "cognitive" part of CBT-I focuses on your thoughts, feelings, and expectations about sleep that may affect how well, or how poorly you sleep.

The "behavioral" part of CBT-I helps you develop proven sleep habits, based on the science of sleep that will help you sleep better

The goals of CBT-I are to help you fall asleep more quickly, stay asleep, and improve your daytime functioning and quality of life as a result of getting better quality sleep. ​

You will be asked to keep a simple “sleep diary” to track your sleep in between sessions

Can I do CBT-I and take medication for sleep or bein other types of therapy?

You do not need to stop other mental health treatments or sleep medications to participate in CBT-I. If you are taking sleep medication but want to reduce/discontinue use, you should talk with your prescribing provider. We can collaborate with your prescriber to incorporate this goal into your treatment.

- Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking earlier than desired)- Recurring nightmares or disturbing dreams due to past traumatic experiences, current stress, or other challenges- Adults with obstructive sleep apnea who are having difficulty using their CPAP device​